A journalist with wide-ranging interests, Pam covers wine business, technology and green topics in the wine industry, primarily for WineBusiness.com (online) and Wine Business Monthly (print). She also writes about wine trends for the hospitality industry at Sante magazine.
Pam is also the leading expert on U.S. organic and biodynamic wines and wineries and senior editor of Slow Wine Guide USA, which features herbicide free wines from eco friendly, artisanal producers. In 2022, she wrote profiles of 80 wineries and 240+ wines.
• How a Salad Bar Disaster Changed the Course of U.S. Wine History
The history of America's weird no added sulfite organic wine laws revealed at last
• Celebrate Life: The Wines and the People at Miljenko Grgich's 100th Birthday Celebration
Rare historic wines, pivotal moments and family and friends - Croatian born Mike Grgich’s 100 year long life were celebrated in two days of festivities earlier this month, with luminaries and friends from far and wide that illustrated the arc of his career beginning with his arrival in the valley in 1958.
How Russian River community growers, Jackson Family Wines, and the Dry Creek Rancheria Pomo tribe worked together to leverage millions in government grants from conservation agencies to overcome the twin climate challenges of wildfire and drought and build ecosystem resilience.
Leading wine writer tells industry Gen Z and Millennials care a lot about climate, recommends leveraging that interest
• Sonoma Valley's Rossi Ranch Acclaimed as To Kalon for Grenache
An old vine vineyard planted in 1910 finds new life in Rhone varieties sought after by 100 point winemakers from Napa
• California Pesticide Regulators Set a New Course to Reduce Toxic Chemicals
Top agencies signal an agro-ecological shift and softer materials may lie ahead
• Vineyard Automation Faces State Labor Regulation Challenges, Unified Symposium Expert Panel Finds
Self driving tractors in vineyards must overcome outdated regulations based on 80 year old technology, growers say
Local soil samples and computer algorithms will model soil carbon parameters and pinpoint changes, advancing research by reducing the cost of soil carbon sampling with low cost modeling methods based on large datasets.
• New Tech: Two Soil Carbon Measurement Startups Get a Boost from USDA Climate Smart Ag Grants
USDA funds startups trying to increase and lower costs of soil carbon measurement methods.
• Winners and Losers in New Consumer Study on Nutritional and Ingredient Wine Labeling
Low sugar–a winner. Sulphur dioxide–a loser. The study was as revealing about consumer preferences as it was about consumer perceptions.
• TTB Likely to Seek Wine Industry Input on Nutritional Wine Labeling in 2023
While the EU is already poised to finalize new regulations on nutritional wine labeling, the federal government in U.S. is beginning the process.
• Wine Industry Finance Conference Financial Symposium Closing Keynote: Growing Stoller Wine Group
Gary Mortenson's journey from tech startup veteran to wine industry growth champion and innovator
• Turning Data into Sales and Profit
Insights from industry leaders at the Wine Industry Finance Conference on optimizing wineries bottom lines through smart business practices
• California Exports: The Money's in the Middle
Post pandemic powwow connects 80 buyers, 26 countries to California
• Scout & Cellar's Road to Growth
Social selling combined with mostly organic standards and nutritional info a winning combination
Growers' perks: electric pickups, fire prevention, water storage and more
• Top Retailers Outline Buying Programs for Private Label and Branded Wines
Top buyers for BevMo and Target weigh in on organics and more
• Southern Glazer's Sustainability Ramps Up
Giant distributor on green journey
• From E. & J. Gallo to Whole Foods and Napa: Brands Are Increasingly Going Organic
Black Box to test organic, Central Coast expands organic acreage, and Napa's organic estates double in number in 6 years
• The Return of Hospice du Rhone
After pandemic, joy in being together
• Experts Deliver State of the Art Advice on Smoke Taint at Unified Wine Grape Symposium
Top smoke researchers reveal findings
USDA to collect and publish its research on drought
• What Wine for Tomorrow? Wine in the Face of Climate Challenges, Paints Picture of Possible Future
French wine expert's comprehensive guide on climate change and wine
A study of 128,000 wines over 20 years brings insights; wine economists say better farming correlates with better scores
• Levels of the Game: Game-Changing Moves On Instagram
Wineries look to pictures to boost appeal
• Running dry: Groundwater depletion expert says California water crisis urgently needs state action
Scientist Jay Famiglietti calls on state to be more pro-active on water storage and planning
• Jancis Robinson at Napa RISE: “The younger you are, the more concerned you are."
Wine's most famous chronicler lambasts heavyweight bottles in wine.
• Vineyard Management Software: New Technologies Encourage Better Business and Vineyard Decisions
As ag tech investments shifts into high gear, the digital toolkit is rapidly expanding, arming growers with a wide variety of tools to track and optimize their farming. PLUS: an interview with researcher Mason Earles at the AI and Biophysics Lab at U.C. Davis
• Facing Early Frost Risks from Climate Change, Bordeaux Experiments with New Blends
Merlot has a distinct downside | 2022 [pdf, page 38-45]
• Sustainability Meets Finance: Eco-Performance Based Loans, Investors, Retailers and New State Regulations Fuel Climate Progress (or see pdf)
An eco-financial sea change is afoot | 2022
MARKETING AND TECH ISSUES
• Depletions and Beyond: Data and Software Accelerate and Align the Three Tiers (pdf)
How software telegraphed market changes and informed distributor planning during pandemic | 2021
• The Big Pivot: The Wine Industry's Data-Driven Marketing Transformation (pdf)
Looking at the numbers, more and more | 2020
• From Cash Register to Competitive Advantage: POS as MVP (pdf)
Turning transactions into actionable data | 2019
• Wine and Water - Wine Cruises: A Perfect Pairing
Cruise industry embraces wine education as an attraction.
• East and West: Two Evans and Two Takes on Easter Wines
Two coasts, two comms, two picks on what wines to serve for this festive occasion.
• From Farm to Table to House Ground Heirloom Masa, Mexican Restaurants Rise to New Heights
Another immigrant food category climbs the culinary ladder of taste
• EcoWine Explained (pdf) or LINK
Organic, biodynamic and sustainable: an explainer
What makes eco-certified wines unique: explainer
More than 300 wineries are converting to organic certification
• Why Organic Winegrowing Can Be More Profitable Than Conventional
Site, skill, quality and markets make the difference | 2021
• What It Costs to be Certified Organic | 2017
• The Organic Opportunity: Will the U.S. Miss Out? (op-ed) | 2018
• Green Wine: Where Are We Now?
Who's organic and why
894,000+ page views and counting...
For US wine guide published by the Slow Food movement covering 285 US eco friendly wineries, serve as Co-Editor and Author (along with our team of amazing field contributors)
• Slow Wine Guide 2023 (now shipping on Amazon and other major outlets)
• Slow Wine Guide 2021
• Slow Wine Guide 2020
2022 News
• Slow Wine Guide 2022 Releases
• How to Tell if a Wine Was Farmed with Roundup
Esther Mobley, chief wine critic at San Francisco Chronicle, sings Slow Wine Guide's praises
2021 News
"Pam Strayer is the country’s foremost authority on organic and biodynamic wines and vines. While I have taken advantage of her know-how for years, I am so excited that she is launching this site for consumers and the wine industry.
Her sites are must have resource for all wine lovers who are concerned about greenwashing and want to know what wines are produced with certified organic or biodynamic grapes."
-Elizabeth Candelario, regenerative food and wine industry consultant; former president, Demeter USA
"Pam Strayer’s coverage of the organic and biodynamic wine world stateside is based on rigorous research ...into individual wineries' wine growing and winemaking practices."
-Monty Waldin, author, The Oxford Companion to Wine (organic and biodynamic sections) and numerous books on organic and biodynamic wines, Regional Chair for Tuscany at the Decanter World Wine Awards
"I just wanted to extend my thanks...for your presentation on organics and biodynamics. The depth of information presented was astounding."
-Damien Wilson, Hamel Family Faculty Chair of Wine Business, Sonoma State University, Wine Business Institute
A former environmental and health journalist, she writes expertly about organic and biodynamic viticulture...and has impressive experience tasting wines."
-Jeremy Parzen, Coordinating Editor for North America, Slow Wine Guide 2020
"Senior Editor Pam Strayer's subject matter expertise in conventional, organic and biodynamic winegrowing has been a guiding light for several years."
-Deborah Parker Wong, Slow Wine Guide, National Editor 2020-23
"The go to person on organic and biodynamic wines."
-Alder Yarrow, Vinography and JancisRobinson.com
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